Headache and facial pain clinic

Migraines and tension headaches are most common among the more than 200 known types of headache diseases. They are usually diagnosed on the basis of questions by a doctor and a neurological examination. In individual cases, imaging methods and laboratory investigations may be required.

Modern headache therapy is carried out by neurologists (medication), psychologists (relaxation therapy, bio feedback, handling pain and pain management) and physiotherapists (endurance training, personal exercises, gradual increase of load), anaesthetists and neurosurgeons (interventional pain management, acupuncture, hypnosis).

A distinction is made between two different main groups of headaches:

These are headaches where an in-depth examination does not reveal a specific cause. They can include migraines, tension headaches and cluster headaches.

These are headaches that are the expression of a disease inside or outside the brain. They can include headaches following a trauma, headaches in the case of medication overuse, headaches in the case of diseases of the trigeminal nerve, and headaches in the case of dysfunction of the chewing system.

• Common and rare types of headaches 
• New-onset headaches
• Chronic disorder forms
• Facial pain

The diagnosis is made based on medical history (questions) and a physical and neurological examination. In special cases, an extended diagnosis (imaging, laboratory tests) is required. The headache calendar is an important diagnostic tool.

Diagnosis is generally made by an interdisciplinary team consisting of specialists in neurology, pain psychology and physiotherapy. Individual headache therapy is based on medicines, pain management, relaxation techniques, endurance training and individual exercises.

If required, there is also the option of involving further specialist areas at the Centre for Pain Medicine (anaesthesia, orthopaedics, neurosurgery). In addition, the centre benefits from close cooperation with specialists for temporomandibular joint diseases in the Lucerne region.